Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1887-11-10
WHiTTlER'S YOUTH.

His First Published Poem and the Friend
It Brought Him.
, Whittier began to rhyme very early
and kept his gift a secret from all ex--
cept his oldest sister, fearing that his
father, who was prosaic man. would
think he was wasting time. He wrote
under the fence, in the attic, in the
barn-wherever he could escape OBJ.
servation; and as pen and ink were
not always available. he sometimes
used chalk. and even charcoal Great
was the surprise of the family when
some Of his verses were unearthed,
literally unearthed. from under heap
+ Of rubbish in garnet; but his father
frowned upon these evidences of the
bent of his mind, not out of kindness.
but because he doubted the suffi cheney
of the boys education for a literary
life, and did not wish to inspire him
with hopes which might never be full
filed.
His sister had faith in him. neverthe-
less, and, without his knowledge, she
sent one of his poems to the editor of
the Free Press. a newspaper published
in Newburyport Whittier was helping
his father to repair a stone wall by the
roadside, when the carrier flung copy
of the paper to him, and. unconscious
that any thing of his was in it. he
opened it and glanced up and down
the columns. His eyes fell on some
verses called 1.-The Exile's Depart
ure:,'
Fond scenes which delighted my youthful ea
With feelings Of sorrow bid ye adieu-
AIasting adieu; for now, dim in the distance
The shores Of Hibernia recede from my
view.
Farewell to- the ellis, tempestbeaten and,
Which guard the loved shores of my own MAJ
tive land, ~. t4
Farewell to. the village and safl-shadowed bay
The forest-crowned hill and the water-washed
strand.
His eyes swan; it was his own poem,
the first he ever had in print.
What is the matter with theeP' his
father demanded, seeing how dazed he
was; but, though he resumed his work
~>R'p wall. he could not speak, and
he had to, steal glance at the paper.
again before he could convince HIM
self that he was not dreaming, Sure
enough. the poem was there with his
initial at the foot of it-"W.. Haver-.
hill, June I, 1885," and, betterrstill.
this editorial notice: IF w. at
HaverhiH, will continue to favor us
with pieces beautiful as the one in.
serteds in our poetical department Of !
today, we shall esteem it a,favor"' f
The editor thought so much of The
E4ile's, Departure, and some other
verses which followed it f.pm the same
hand, that he resolved to make the
acquaintance Of his new contributors,
and he drove over 10 see him.
Whites, then boy Of eighteen, was
summoned from the fields whers he,
was working, clad only in shirt.
!. trousers and straw hat; and. having,
slipped in at the back door so that he
might put his shoes and coat on. came
into. the roo m with, shrinking diff
fdence, almost unable to speak. and
blusAing like maiden" The editor
was a young man himself. not moro
than twenty-five or twenty-t three. and
the friendship that began, with. this
visit lasted until death ended it. How
strong and how close it was and how
it was made to serve the cause Of
freedom may be learned in the life Of
the great abolitienist. William Lloyd
Garrison, which was tho editors
name. Nicholas